A barley crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on July 30, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Prairie grains firm, watching new-crop weather

U.S. corn values supportive

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Tight barley supplies in Western Canada continue to keep the feed market underpinned, with gains in the U.S. corn market also providing support to grain markets in general. “We’re starting to see a bit of an early weather market in the U.S.,” Allen Pirness of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge said. Rising corn […] Read more

Lodging presents a much higher risk of yield and quality reductions and economic losses if barley can’t be sold for malting.

PGRs for malting barley? Maybe

Research suggests plant growth regulators should be considered as a risk-management tool in fields with high yield potential

Reading Time: 4 minutes [UPDATED: April 12, 2021] Lodging is the enemy of barley producers, especially if they’re hoping for a malting premium. It’s prompted some producers to get out of barley altogether. Others are turning to plant growth regulators (PGRs) to help cut their losses. Sheri Strydhorst, a research scientist at the University of Alberta, says lodging is […] Read more


MGEX May 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with K.C. May 2021 wheat (yellow line) and CBOT May 2021 wheat (green line). (Barchart)

Spring wheat slowly regains premiums

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Nearby Minneapolis spring wheat contracts have historically traded at a premium compared to their Chicago and Kansas City soft wheat counterparts. And after a winter during which that premium had all but disappeared, spring wheat has so far made gains in 2021. Since the start of the year, both spring wheat contracts have […] Read more



MGEX May 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with K.C. May 2021 wheat (orange line), CBOT May 2021 wheat (red line) and Canadian dollar in U.S. cents (green line). (Barchart)

Prairie cash wheat: Bids mixed as loonie jumps

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) wheats dropped while those for Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheat made their way upward during the week ending Wednesday. Wheat futures in the U.S. were mixed, while the Canadian dollar rose. The market reacted to both the prospective plantings […] Read more

(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Bids mixed with falling futures, weaker loonie

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Bids in Western Canada were mixed this week for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat and steady to lower for Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) and durum (CWAD). Lower prices in U.S. wheat markets weighed on values, while a weaker Canadian dollar provided support. Average CWRS (13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Prices to remain strong in spring

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Higher prices for feed grains in Western Canada are expected to stay that way, according to a trader in Alberta. Erin Harakal, senior trader for Agfinity at Stony Plain, Alta., said factors such as increased demand overseas and depleted domestic stocks will continue to keep prices elevated for feed grains. While she doesn’t […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Wheat stocks should limit barley’s further upside

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Feed barley bids in Western Canada remain strong, although ample wheat supplies should limit the upside heading into the new growing season. Feed barley in the Lethbridge region of southern Alberta is currently trading at around $305-$310 per tonne, according to Jim Beusekom of Market Place Commodities. Prices for delivery later in the […] Read more


Oats. (Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Oats riding high with other crops

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Increased demand, both domestically and overseas, has caused the price of oats grown in Western Canada to rise compared to last year. And so far, seeding projections and rising prices for other crops suggest the market for oats won’t go down anytime soon. According to Prairie Ag Hotwire data from Wednesday, high-delivered bids […] Read more

File photo of a combine harvesting a wheat crop in Ukraine. (SergBob/iStock/Getty Images)

Demand from China puts Ukraine barley above top-end milling wheat

Reading Time: < 1 minute Kyiv | Reuters — Prices for Ukrainian-origin barley from this year’s harvest have exceeded those of high quality milling wheat due to strong demand from China, analysts at APK-Inform said on Friday. Forward contract prices for 2021 harvest barley stood at $220-$230 a tonne c.p.t. (carriage paid to) Black Sea June-July delivery, while high-quality milling […] Read more